from bill clinton, anthony, thank you so very much for your message on my 66th birthday. hearing from you made it a special day even more memorable. that's right. he sent the judge pages of those generic mass produced thank you notes politicians blast out to anyone who winds up on their mailing list. pathetic defense. >>> up next, the fiscal cliff. president obama's in campaign mode while republicans are considering, well, considering. can the president pull off a historic victory? maybe. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. ♪ [ male announcer ] with free package pickup from the u.s. postal service the holidays are easy. visit usps.com. pay, print, and have it picked up for free before december 20h for delivery in time for the holidays. you can even give us special instructions on where to find it. free package pickup. from the u.s. postal service. because it's nice to have an extra pair of hands around for the holidays. because it's nice to have an extra pair of hands around of washington about the future of medicare and social security. anncr: but you d